ROCK NETROOTS PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Granted, the Government Accountability Office has not yet made the formal announcement making the Recall Election of Scott Walker official, but Walker's recent decision not to challenge the signatures just about puts an end to his base's speculation and rumors about the quality and quantity of petition signatures.

Cognitive DissidenceExcerpt:
First of all, he had three times the amount of time allowed by the law to do what he needed to do. Secondly, Walker has raised more than $12 million for his recall campaign thanks to the law that waives any limits on donations. The reason for that waiver is so that he could use it to defend himself by checking and challenging the signatures. He could have hired 15,000 people - one for every ten sheets turned in - and paid them $100 for the day to check the signatures and still had enough to overdose everyone in the state with his insipid, fact-free commercials.

Easily. He could have bought two more weeks of time two weeks ago by spending a few million dollars if he thought he had a chance to discredit the recall petitions. No way that was going to happen.

Not when there are preliminary numbers like this:

Wisconsin State JournalExcerpt:
Verify the Recall and True the Vote, another petition review group, on Monday released their own analysis of more than 800,000 of the signatures. The groups said their more than 14,000 volunteers from around the country had found some 55,608 ineligible signatures, 228,940 signatures in need of further investigation and 534,685 eligible signatures.

Remember again, these numbers were compiled and posted by outfits out to discredit the petition drive. They had a "no sign" form page for Wisconsin residents to sign in and verify they did not sign the petition, but does anyone really believe they would post a data base and form page for Wisconsin voters to verify those that they claim need further investigation? Not a chance.

As far as I'm concerned, those numbers verify the recall. Thank you tea party patriots! We can conservatively figure that 70 percent of the 228,940 signatures needing further investigation will pass muster. That brings the total eligible to 700,466 signatures and that's with more than 10% of the petitions still not counted. These percentages run true to the historical averages of past recalls. We'll likely see the official number closer to 770,000+ eligible when it's all said and done. Far more than the necessary 540,208 necessary to trigger the recall.

Fact is, Scott Walker did not run out of time. He ran out of hope. But we are dealing with a ruthless cabal of dirty rotten scoundrels in control of state government, so anything can happen.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

There's a lot to be said about Forward Janesville's latest legislative effort to push through their wealth redistribution tax proposals and massive infrastructure projects for their road-building membership in the state capital. The local lobby group easily wins the attention of state legislators while local protesters ignore the class war redistribution activity right at their front door. I'm beginning to fear the lack of attention and opposition is meant to be that way. That's too bad.

No question all of Forward Janesville's proposals have roots in a much broader nationalized trickle-down economic program that generates wealth not by free market demand inspired by education, labor or innovation, but on the redistribution of government collective revenue and phony incentive derivatives. So far, Forward Janesville likes the way things have been going in Scott Walker's Wisconsin. That should come as no surprise.

Probably the best example of this is listed among their priorities in their Ryanesque “Roadmap to Rock County’s Future” legislative agenda. They have a tax "portability" gimmick that would allow businesses who qualify for state income tax credits but could not use them effectively due to no reported profit, to transfer the credits to other companies who could use them. While you're at it, why not make them inheritable too?

First of all, these tax credits are nothing more than political payback and a pox on good government. As far as I'm concerned, every public office holder proposing and supporting these crooked ideas should be dragged out of office and flogged in a public stockade.

They don't create jobs and those far less special and without their own personal lobbyist will have to make up the difference in lost revenue. That's you and me. Secondly, it's obvious that these proposals are not driven by economic development but instead are geared towards the capture of every cent in a $10 million tax revenue cache Forward Janesville arbitrarily established for the program. It could easily have been $50 or $100 million. They figure since the money is there, they're entitled to it. It belongs to them and no one else. If they miss confiscating even one dollar according to plan, they believe the credit, whether earned or not, then belongs to the next available crony. This is the entitlement mentality in hyper-drive.

If you're a regular reader here, you'll know what I think of "jobs" tax credits, but this takes that backwards theory into a whole new realm of bold-faced wealth redistribution. We need jobs. Not political games and certainly not a new treasury draining entitlement society.

Monday, February 27, 2012

No, that's not a photoshop or an artist's rendition of some jackwagon city planners dream to pave over a river with a parking lot. That's the real thing courtesy of Google Earth.

The parking lot sits over the bustling Rock River between Court and Milwaukee Streets in Janesville. It was built in 1963.

Janesville officials are now considering its permanent removal, which seems very odd for a city that vigorously adheres to old world industrialist sprawl plans. But whatever they decide, I won't put any hope into thinking they have turned towards organic and sustainable economic planning models. They are just entering 1955 only now.

For the first time in my six years posting here, a story originating from the mainstream that I expounded on but made perfect sense about a couple of Wisconsin's tyrannical blowhards overstepping their bounds as usual was pulled for a lack of verifiable sources.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Wisconsin Rep. Joel Kleefisch has been caught on video committing voter fraud, voting in someone else's name. In the video below, you see Kleefisch recording votes for absent members on their machines during Tuesday's session.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

There has been some false outrage planted by the local media monopoly, the Janesville Gazette, including an editorial by the Beloit Daily News in defense of a person (Mark Finnegan of Finnegan's RV in South Beloit) who claims he was abused by protesters when he attempted to escort a couple of elderly ladies to a local GOP party function and dinner event last weekend in Beloit.

I was not at the protest so I cannot speak firsthand. But judging from two videos and photos from the intertubes, the protest appeared to be a peaceful event with some theatrical flair (people laying down under a red carpet), bullhorns and vuvuzelas. Oh, and a gold colored commode to help make the rich and powerful feel right at home. It was a fun event. But let's put it this way, anyone attending the dinner and encountering the group outside with noisemakers should expect some noise. In case you didn't know, bullhorns and vuvuzelas tend to be loud.

Finnegan's big complaint from his perspective was that a "boisterous" protester shouted into a bullhorn within earshot while he was escorting a couple of 80-something women into the building. Possibly so. But there have been no photos or videos of this incident taking place as described despite cameras everywhere. On the other hand, I have to question the intentions and judgment of anyone who would subject an elderly senior or a very young child to any direct political protest activity without taking extra precautions. Sorry, but that doesn't wash.

From his writings and the BDN's indefensible editorial, they tried to paint this as a deliberate attack, that because Finnegan "dared show up at this gathering [...] he and his elderly guests were abused." Please, don't flatter yourselves. I can attest to the fact that whatever you perceive "our" cause to be - it's not about you personally. The only reason anyone would write such a stretch of self-importance and reality is to inflict damage on a cause you never could relate with. Let's be honest.

Finnegan also posed a couple questions: "Do you protesters truly believe these actions are still helping your message with the masses? Do you ever think that possibly you have gotten to the point that you are alienating the sympathy of 'center' folk like myself regarding your cause?"

Let's put it this way, the message isn't for the masses to digest. The message is from the masses. The second message here is; if protest action should be purposely designed and carried out to instill, attract or win sympathy, then we are on the wrong side of history.

The editor of the Beloit Daily News takes that theme to the next level when he suggests Scott Walker should take precisely that action by making himself more often available to the anger and angst of Wisconsinites in hopes of provoking some ill will in an effort to gain sympathy for his cause.

That's right. When you have really bad, bad public policy sure to make heads explode, the BDN editor suggests...

BDN EditorialExcerpt:
Backlash is all but assured. If I were advising the governor, I’d put him out there with this crowd early and often. Bad behavior drives votes to the other side.

That's good advice when you're on the wrong side of history and truth and you have nothing else left. You may as well plant some false flags and provocateurs too. That's the republican way. But let's be double clear here. The Governor, Scott Walker, was not the subject of this particular protest. Sell-out congressman Paul Ryan and the 1% were.

But I can't blame them for their confusion. The major story here is that the Koch-supported Republican Party has become such a hated group in Wisconsin that every protest action in the state is no longer only about Scott Walker. It has naturally morphed into a referendum on the arrogant right-wing class-war tax-shifting government-grabbing 1% and the Wall Street politicians they own. Walker of course is also part of that.

So I say yes to the Beloit Daily News editor and his suggestion to Scott Walker. Bring it on.

Declaration Of IndependenceExcerpt:
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Contrary to one report claiming all but one area republican signed a pledge of secrecy during the redistricting process...they all did.

Wisconsin State JournalExcerpt:
"What could have — indeed should have — been accomplished publicly instead took place in private, in an all but shameful attempt to hide the redistricting process from public scrutiny," read the order, written by U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller.

The following area legislators signed the nondisclosure documents a federal judicial panel characterized as a "poorly disguised" attempt to "cloak the private machinations of Wisconsin’s Republican legislators in the shroud of attorney-client privilege."

Almost all republican senators signed the confidentiality agreements. Ironically, Scott Fitzgerald was one of the few who did not do so. He said no one had ever asked him to sign it. The only other Republican senator who did not sign was Dan Kapanke of La Crosse, who lost a recall election in August.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

During Monday's Janesville City Council meeting, two council members sponsored and introduced a resolution asking the Janesville Common Council to go on record in calling upon the Congress of the United States to begin the process of amending the Constitution to provide that corporations are not entitled to the entirety of protections or "rights" of natural persons.

A council majority consisting of Kathy Voskuil, Russ Steeber, Deb Dongarra-Adams and Tom McDonald went on record refusing to demonstrate support for the core premise of the resolution. It never made it to the table for a vote.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

At Monday night's Janesville City Council meeting, council members approved in a 4 to 1 decision to use their governmental power and tax revenue collectivism to leverage an advantage for a single private-for-profit business, SHINE Medical Technologies, with over 80 acres of free land, free capital and a taxpayer backed loan guarantee valued at $4 million. This is an outrage! The $9 million "incentive" package pledged to this single small business venture is almost one-quarter of the city's annual operating budget. By comparison, this deal was greater than the TARP bail-out was in proportion with the annual federal budget.

But first and foremost, this is about elected officials using government power and collectivism to leverage an advantage for a single private-for-profit special interest. That cannot be overstated.

Secondly, Janesville officials follow a notoriously backward status quo growth model that promotes the plowing under of our surrounding "Napa Valley." Rock County is home to some the deepest and most fertile topsoils on Earth, but no one would ever know it around here judging by the low value, priority and low esteem many area officials and residents show for the land. They view the level well-drained glacial-driven six-foot thick topsoil as the perfect substrate to lay curb, gutter and asphalt.

Make no mistake, local governments, mayors, city managers and councils all over the state and country are grappling with wrong-headed anti-competitive anti-market "incentive" packages and economic development guidelines written by corporate lobbyists and legalized in statehouses to lure existing businesses and start-ups away from one community to another.

These policies deliberately place a false onus on local officials for job creation and economic growth when in truth, there was absolutely nothing, city ordinances or other laws, stopping SHINE from starting up their business in Janesville on their own free will like other businesses have. In the end, these deals have a zero sum effect on the state economy while accomplishing their one true goal very effectively - redistributing wealth upward through elaborate capital shifting tax credits.

The other truth is, many of these business entrepreneurs have either strong investor backing or are wealthy venture capitalists themselves who comb state maps for Qualified New Business Venture Credits and Enterprise Zone Credits and mark economically distressed communities with pliable special interest controlled leadership like Janesville as an opportunity to exploit even further through intricately woven TIF District agreements and other financing derivatives. Economic tools offering access to government and tax treasury have become counter-productive and do little more than expand an entitlement mentality for the well-connected and other freeloading opportunists.

As a political blogger on my own soapbox, I have spoken out against tax credits for jobs, even roasting Sen. Russ Feingold for proposing them, and criticized the Janeville City Council when they endorsed the sprawl expansion pro-tax legislative agenda of the local WMC satellite, Forward Janesville. These closed loop trickle-down policies including TIF District modifications have successfully shifted taxes for the benefit of their membership while leaving the average taxpaying wage earner footing the bill. It's easy to spend someone else's money. Let me be clear. I ain't no tea party.

Lastly, at a time when I thought the public’s awareness of a captured government working deals to advantage private special interests was at it’s highest, I never thought this “incentive” package deal in Janesville would have ever gotten this far, but I was dead wrong. I never thought four members of our city council, in Fitzwalkerstan style, would ram through one of the most absurd and abusive uses of local government and collective revenue power I have ever thought possible on this scale. Regardless of your politics, Janesville and/or Rock County does not have a grassroots voting bloc actively working on local issues at all and it's beginning to take it's toll on our quality of life and trust in government. We are headed into the abyss.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King,
Robert La Follette, John Maynard Keynes, Milton Friedman, Gaylord Nelson and Ronald Reagan must be all turning over in their graves after this one.

Monday, February 13, 2012

At a Washington DC banquet, Gov. Scott Walker asked a large group of conservative activists from around the country for help in his quest to smash the state's grassroots recall effort to remove him from office.

JS OnlineExcerpt:
Asked why he came here, Walker said in an interview before his speech, "Oh I think we're going to need the help . . . not just financially but in terms of bodies and people helping us to spread the message."

Walker knows if he has to solely depend on the people of Wisconsin, he will be rejected. He knows the traditional values of progress and unity and the inherent compassionate spirit of the state can only be crushed and defeated from the outside. Walker's big money bosses are angry and refuse to go down without a fight.

During CPAC, Walker delivers his request, "I need your help ... I need people to help us spread that message in Wisconsin ... I need your help with the ground game ... we need bodies ...and need your help financially.

Empowered by unlimited financing from billionaires, Walker and his interloping allies are working to roll back 100 years of economic and social progress not only in Wisconsin, but in the entire country!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Just when you thought Scott Walker could not sink any lower, he drops to Paul Ryan-like levels and then some when he announced his strongarm stickup of the settlement fund for foreclosure crisis victims. Walker, armed with his enforcer J.B. Van Hollen riding shot-gun, plans to confiscate about $26 million of the state's $140 million share of a national mortgage settlement to help plug the state's (balanced) budget hole.

This decision was possibly prompted after hearing odious tea party ghouls and right-wing radio buffoons crackback the settlement as a bail-out for irresponsible people who overspent and failed to manage their budgets. Walker's shameful action projects his inner failure, "hey, that's me!"

If you've been following our governor's exploits and assaults against the people of Wisconsin to these depths, there comes a time when even the thickest skin among us need to back up for a breather and recognize the possibility that there is no bottom in Scott Walker's hell.

Ed Shultz On Foreclosure Heist

Think ProgressExcerpt:
The settlement money already doesn’t come close to addressing the depths of the nation’s housing problem, though it will provide real relief to the people whom it does reach. But the money was certainly not intended to paper over state budget problems, particularly in a state whose governor assured everybody up and down that busting his state’s public unions was the key to fiscal solvency.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Along with the race for the White House, Elizabeth Warren vs Scott Brown and Tammy Baldwin's run for the open senate seat, Jennifer Granholm of The War Room also picks the Rob Zerban/Paul Ryan House race among the top twelve political match-ups to watch this year.

The War RoomExcerpt:
As a bonus, let’s add one House race to the list—it’s one that is already drawing national interest—the run for Wisconsin’s 1st congressional district, currently held by chairman of the House Budget Committee Republican Paul Ryan. Since introducing a radical federal budget and ... more>>>

Also, Rob Zerban earned an endorsement from Sen. Russ Feingold...

Feingold:
"Rob Zerban understands the struggles of working and middle class families here in Wisconsin, and across the country.

Rob Zerban shares my priorities of helping working families, honoring our commitment to our seniors by protecting Social Security and Medicare, safeguarding women's rights, our natural resources, and our rights and freedoms. Most importantly, Rob Zerban shares my commitment to making the economy work for every American, not just the wealthiest among us. That's why I am proud to endorse Rob Zerban in his challenge to Congressman Paul Ryan."

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Most of us knew that Walker's class war Act 10 budget bill banned labor unions from member's VOLUNTARILY paying their dues through the system. But unless you were a public employee, how many knew that employees can voluntarily earmark amounts from their paychecks for hundreds of organizations of their choosing ...EXCEPT their union?

Since I'm not a public employee, I did not know this.
H/T Uppity Wisconsin

Uppity WisconsinExcerpt:
That's right, the union-busting Act 10, specifically (and unconstitutionally) said that of all the hundreds you can give-to with automatic withdrawal, you can't give to your union.

Seriously. Even if you hate labor unions or the concept of public employee unions …I mean literally hate something that others want to participate in, you've at least got to stand up for one of our most basic fundamental rights. To be a true American who believes in free will and choice, how could anyone support legislation designed specifically to discriminate against and disable one group?

They’re saying, "because we don’t think that organization can be of much value to you, we’ll make the decision for you and ban the use of the automatic-withdrawal utility that previously enabled you to voluntarily support them."

Rep. Dennis Kucinich nailed Walker about this policy in the video below. Walker said taking away employees right to voluntarily pay dues is, "to give workers the right to choose." Not only did Walker steal their right of choice away, but the state did not save one penny either.

#3. Signatures on petitions are subject to public scrutiny because ...any concerns regarding personal safety and privacy may not have been considered when signing.

Personal safety won't be taken into consideration for public disclosure when signing petitions, unless of course it concerns the safety of campaign contributors? So, not only are we dealing with the spectre of a bought politician, the contribution also bought some protection from full public disclosure.

Monday, February 06, 2012

I slapped this mash-up of Chrysler's popular "Half-time In America" super bowl ad together and fully expect Youtube to take it down soon. Enjoy it while it lasts, but I also think there will be many more remixes of this ad to follow in the coming weeks.

With most of the country expecting gains in the economic coincident index, Walker's Wisconsin is ranked with five other states the Philadelphia Federal Reserve predicts will remain flat at best or in decline for the next six months.

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Four Democrats are now vying for position to take on Walker rubber stamp and traitor to his district, Joe Knilans. They are: Janesville City Council member Sam Liebert, Janesville School Board member, Deb Kolste, Council member Yuri Rashkin and current member of Janesville's School Board, Kevin Murray.

Friday, February 03, 2012

The People's Legislature wants a Walker opponent not beholden to big money.

Cap TimesExcerpt:
Democrats beware. Progressives will not settle for the lesser of two evils. Or so claimed the many featured guests -- including one gubernatorial candidate and several likely ones -- who spoke before roughly 200 activists at the "People's Legislature" on Wednesday. More>>>

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Quote From The Intertubes:
I can't wait for the stooges at verifytherecall to verify the recall. The best part is they are working for free! Hurry it up and verify those 540,208 signatures, you can do want you want with the rest. We have a new governor to elect and a state to restore. Time is of the essence!

I was miffed when I first heard Tim Cullen was throwing his hat in the ring to run as a recall candidate against Scott Walker. I immediately thought it was a little premature and seemed to lack the structural groundwork necessary to create the stage and social network that will be absolutely crucial to win this enormous battle.

On the other hand, I also felt this is precisely the kind of person we need to run against Walker. No outside moneyed interests, a moderate and an acclaimed pragmatist. Those are three huge pluses.

And now, I'm equally perplexed that he would prematurely bow out. But this tells me I was right the first time.

Cap TimesExcerpt:
Democratic state Sen. Tim Cullen bowed out of the governor's race Wednesday, saying he can't raise the money to compete with better-known opponents and he has no desire to participate in what he said was going to be a "political war."

I don't know if not raising the money is the big issue at this time. Make no mistake, our governor has been bought by outside moneyed interests, so how are we supposed to be any different if we are the same? I do respect that Cullen said he has no desire to participate in a "political war," but that should not be a recent discovery for any recall candidate, particularly for Cullen who served on the frontlines.

Cap TimesExcerpt:
"The person who comes out of that race is going to be in a terrible position to bring this state together," the 67-year-old Cullen said. "I came to Madison as a centrist and I discovered there was no center."

We need a leader and I'm really sorry to see Cullen use that sort of "personal surrender" language, even on exit. No man is an island and no one is bigger than the problem or the process. Anyone expecting that money and support will naturally gravitate to them without reaching out is in for a rude awakening.

If anything, this shows me that Cullen lacked even a minimal strategist and advisor at the beginning and at the end. That's a shame because I know with a little extra effort, Tim Cullen had the potential to win hearts and minds and contend for this job.

Maybe there's more to this story than the Senator has led on. But for some reason this entire episode doesn't add up. Not for me.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Now that the recall signatures are posted online, there is much ado about anti-recall folks who claim they are scouring the documents just to make sure no one wrongly signed their name.

MacIverExcerpt:
In addition to the recruiting volunteers to data enter signatures, Brown’s group created a ‘no sign’ list, for which individuals could sign up to be notified if their names fraudulently appeared on the Walker recall petitions.

“Over 50,000 Wisconsinites have protected their name and address against fraudulent petition use by signing up for our “No Sign Registration List,” Brown told MacIver News Service.

But with earlier claims from Walker's recall saboteurs that they will gather signatures under false pretense and destroy them, what recourse do we have to re-affirm our patriotic duty if our signature is not found on the petition?

We don't know how many have been destroyed - we could gather another 100,000. Has anyone started a re-affirmation recall petition drive?

Dec. 5, 2011 ...they have for over the past decade fueled up for twice-a-week bombing raids of random rants, slurs and anonymous hit jobs on public officials, Democrats, school teachers and labor unions ...more>>>